عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَى ﴿۵﴾ ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَاسْتَوَى ﴿۶﴾ وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى ﴿۷﴾ ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى ﴿۸﴾ فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى ﴿۹﴾ فَأَوْحَى إِلَى عَبْدِهِ مَا أَوْحَى ﴿۱۰﴾ مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى ﴿۱۱﴾ أَفَتُمَارُونَهُ عَلَى مَا يَرَى ﴿۱۲﴾

﴾5﴿ Allamahoo shadeedul quwaa
﴾6﴿
﴾7﴿ Zoo mirratin fastawaa
﴾8﴿ Summa danaa fatadalla
﴾9﴿ Fakaana qaaba qawsaini aw adnaa
﴾10﴿ Fa awhaaa ilaa 'abdihee maaa awhaa
﴾11﴿ Maa kazabal fu'aadu maa ra aa
﴾12﴿ Afatumaaroonahoo 'alaa maayaraa

﴾5﴿ He was taught by one mighty in power
﴾6﴿ The one of beautiful form, then he stood poised
﴾7﴿ While he was on the highest horizon
﴾8﴿ Then he drew near and came closer
﴾9﴿ Then he was at a distance of two bow lengths or even closer
﴾10﴿ Then He revealed to His servant what He revealed
﴾11﴿ The heart did not deny what it saw
﴾12﴿ Do you argue with him about what he saw

[5,6,7] In this is a reference to the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace). Another way to express the meaning in a clearer interpretation is that Jibril (peace be upon him) taught this Messenger and also met with him. The one described as “Shadid al-Quwa” (Strong in Power) refers to Jibril (peace be upon him), as supported by Surah At-Takwir (81:20). (ذُو مِرَّةٍ) — Mirrah refers to physical strength and soundness of body, and also to a beautiful form. (وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى) — This pronoun also refers to Jibril (peace be upon him), and it points to the beginning of revelation, when Jibril appeared in his original form in Makkah at the location of Abtah, with six hundred wings that filled the horizon. Ibn Jarir stated that the pronoun refers to Muhammad (May Allah bless him and give him peace), and that it alludes to the heavenly ascension (Mi'raj), where both the Prophet and Jibril were together and reached the horizon of the heavens. Ibn Kathir refuted this view, but from the standpoint of interpretation, it is a valid explanation.
[8,9] The pronouns, according to the first interpretation, refer to Jibril (peace be upon him), and according to the second interpretation, they refer to the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace), with the meaning being his closeness to Allah Almighty. (فَتَدَلَّى) — Literally means to hang down from above to below; in this context, it means Jibril descended from the horizon. It is also used metaphorically to mean “drawing very near.” (قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ) — Qāb in Arab usage refers to the portion from the grip (the handle) of the bow to its end. Since that middle grip connects both sides, each side is one qāb. Therefore, in each bow, there are two qābs, as mentioned in Lisān al-‘Arab. In this verse, each qāb from the two bows is meant, so originally it would be qābā qawsayn (the two qābs of two bows). Another opinion is that qāb here simply means “a measure,” as stated by Ibn Kathir. The Arabs use this metaphor for nearness. It comes from the practice where two former enemies, upon reconciling, would bring their bows together and connect the handles (qābs) as a symbol of unity — indicating that in the future, they would stand together as one side against a common enemy.
[10] The intended meaning of the revelation (waḥy) is either the beginning of Surah Al-Muddaththir, or it refers to an unspecified/general revelation.
[11,12] In this, the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) is mentioned along with the vision. The truthful report refers to the vision (ru’yah) of Jibril (peace be upon him), which is the preferred and apparent interpretation. Alternatively, it may refer to the vision of Allah Almighty, which will be discussed later. If Jibril is meant, then the vision refers to seeing with the physical eye. The meaning of “مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ” is that the heart confirmed what the eye saw — meaning the vision was with certainty. As for the vision of Allah Almighty on the night of Mi‘raj, this is a matter of scholarly disagreement. The better opinion is that it cannot be definitively affirmed. Ibn Kathir and many hadith scholars favored the view that it did not occur. Khatib Shirbini and some other commentators favored the second view (that it did occur). Qurtubi, in his tafsir of “مَا رَأَى” and “عَلَىٰ مَا يَرَىٰ”, also narrated another interpretation — that what is meant includes all the heavenly sights and Bayt al-Maqdis that the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) saw during the night of Mi‘raj, and which the polytheists doubted and disputed.